The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-11-04
rHE KIMBALL GRAPHIC.
BY c. R. TinAh.
HIGH LICENSE VS. PROHIBITION
SOME POPULAR FALLACIES.

~ oSSHns S4uoaiy us pcItiuSHt ~ say II
does not pay to mix prohibition with
religion. 1t seems neither profitable nor
wise. The bible certainly does not teach
prolibition. The Christian religion
certainly does not teach prohibition.
Both do, undoubtedly, teach temper
ance, bnt temperance is one thing and
prohibition is another. Simply because
a few-and they a very small part of the
whole number supporting the present
prohibition movement-belicve that the
use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage
is a sin and the traffic, therefore, sinful
does not make it so. 1t is simply a mat.
ter in which ones own conscience is the
only true and safe guide. A point on
which good, Christian people all over
the globe do and will forever disagree.
Prohibition Or local option is merely an
issue raised by a certain proportion of
the people who believe that the promis.
cuous selling of intoxicating liquors
should be stopped and made Legitimate.
There is another class-a large number
of whom are outside of the whisky
element" who never look upon the wine
cup-that bclive that prohibition is i'm
practicable and wrong in theory; that it
makes liars, sneaks, perjurcrs. hypo-
critics, and. as a whole, does more harm
than good to a community. Would it
not. then, be as consistent for them to
run their campaign under a banner in
scribed: For God, Home and the Ma
tive Land" rs for the former class to do
the same? Would it be any more sacre-
ligious for either or both of the great
political parties to conduct their cam
paigns in the name of God than it is for
the prohibitionists? II the Democratic
party should say n vote for Grover
Clevc'an and is a vote for God would that
make it SO? Would II necessarily fol
low that n vote for James G. Blaine was
a vote for the devil because the Demo-
cratic platform said so? But, says the
prohibitionist, prohibition is n moral
question, not n political issue. We say
that it is u political issue. What is the
meaning of the word polite? Webster
gives it: Pertaining to or promoting a
policy, especially u national policy-said
of measures" All such issues which
come before the people for adoption or
rejection are political ones, in the gen
eral meaning of the term, and as such
religion should not enter into them as n
prime factor. All will agree that intern
perancc is the greatest evil with which
we have to contend, but the methods
which will soonest and most efTcctually
diminish the evil is a question on which
many differ. For the followers of my
one ism to imply that theirs is the only
one sanctioned and glori1cd by God
smaclSs as strongly Of sophistry and big
otry ms it is for any one church denomi-
nation to assert that through its doors
alone Heaven can be reached. Apropus
of tine phrase of the prohibition move
ment, the following extract from an ex-
change fits it very appropriately.
You. fair Dakotancse, are conduct
ing this crusade in the name of God,
Christianity and religion. Are you sure
Of your foundations? Was it your God
who said, wine chccreth God and
man?' Was it your Christ who came
eating and drinking" and of whom it
was said, 'hc is u glntton and a wine
bibbcr!' Was it your Christ who sig
naliZed one of the most striking occas-
ions of his Ii c. That of the performance
Of his first miracle, and which convinced
his disciples of his claims, by transform
ing pure water into excellent wine. and
that, too, without q license? Who upon
the very eve of that sublime tragedy at
whose recital the worshiping millions
arc dissolved in tears and convulsed with
horror, declared to his Il sciples that the
wine present they might drink all for he
should Don drink wine in heaven? And
who SO esteemed wine that ut the insti.
tuition of the Sacrament of the Lords
Supper he enjoincd It's use to represent
his blood. with bread to represent his
body and >'do this in remembrance of
MGR Was it your Paul who said: Let
nc man. therefore, Judge you in meat or
in drink. or in respect to n holy day, OF
Of the new morn. OIL of the Sabbath
dayss" And was it your Paul who,
q out tie same time. III emphasis of the
preceding Injunction. said: "But
though we. or an angel from heaven.
preach any other gospel unto you than
that which WI have preached unto you,
let him be accnrscdy" You invoke God
to aid you in this cause. yet your God
condemns the cause itself. You declare
prohibition in the name of Christ, and by
SO doing delarc II theology foreign to
His conception and al insult to His
example"
The foregoing extract is not inserted
in this connection for the purpose of
showing how fallacious is the reasoning
of some very good people any more than
II is quoted to illustrate the old saying,
The bible is like a fiddle; you can play
any time upon it y0u please" The
sneer. says q recent writer. gets its force
not ln the contradictions of the script
urcs hut in the practice of corrected
cranks. He goes on to say, "the bible is
the worst abused book in the world. II
is made to teach almost every ism under
the sui Passages are continually being
taken ont of their connection aud made
TO serve in support of any theory at
will" For instance. the prohibitionists
Gun easily quote from the bible, in con-
tradlet,oD tu the above extract, passage
after passage showfng-or attempting to
shaw--tha, his theory is supported by
the bible. There is. in fact, nothing to
be gained by either side by using the
bible as authority. Tho probibitionists
seem 10 be mixing The most religion with
their theory and il is for that reason oar
remarks have been mostly directed to
them. As said at the beginning it seems
neither wise nor profitable. The old
deacon who refused to pray for rain be-
cause the weather did not look favorable
may not have had any too much religion,
but all will admit that his Judgment was
good. The reverse seems to be the case
with many prohihitionists. They should
conduct their campaign on business pr,n-
ciples. 1t is pre-eminent1y a practical